Bronx pair pleads guilty to carjackings in Garden City, other Long Island locations

Two Bronx men each face up to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to being part of a street gang that targeted Long Island for a series of carjackings, including one the pair did in Garden City.

Jaquell Blackwell, 20, entered his plea Wednesday and an accomplice, Abdoul Azika, 21, did the same last month.

Both had been charged with carjacking for forcing a man out of a parked 2019 Honda Civic at knife and gunpoint just before 3:30 a.m. on March 19, 2023, in a Garden City neighborhood, federal prosecutors said.

Their federal public defense attorneys could not be reached for comment Wednesday,

The two men, who U.S. Attorneys said were members of the Bronx-based 5zzly gang, also admitted committing a series of other carjackings on Long Island. The investigation was led by the FBI, NYPD, Nassau County police and Garden City police.

Blackwell admitted committing a June 7, 2023, carjacking in Elmont and Azika admitted committing previous carjackings in South Farmingdale and Massapequa, prosecutors said.

"Blackwell and Azika, wielding weapons and threats of grievous harm, forced their victims to give up their vehicles and instilled terror in their communities," said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr, who heads the U.S. Eastern District of New York.

In the Garden City carjacking, Blackwell and Azika approached the Honda as a man sat in the passenger seat near Brook and Tremont streets, according to a criminal complaint.

One of the men, dressed in black, opened the driver’s-side door and pointed a knife in the passenger’s face, ordering him to get out of the car, the complaint states.

The victim tried to grab the assailant's arm when the second man, wearing a black-and-white camouflage hoodie, pointed a gun in the victim’s face, forcing him out of the car, an FBI agent said as part of the complaint.

Police found the Honda the next day in the Bronx, near where both men lived. Police also found a fingerprint on the back of a separate stolen license plate on the car that matched Blackwell, according to prosecutors.

Authorities used GPS monitoring to find the car. Cellphone data indicated Azika made a call about 2 a.m., about 90 minutes before the carjacking. The Honda’s Bluetooth system recorded a call listed in Azika’s phone to "mama" as he was driving near Garden City and later as he drive back to the Bronx.

Both men could face up to 15 years in prison when they are sentenced.

"Jaquell Blackwell and Abdoul Azika committed a series of violent carjackings by brandishing weapons to forcibly steal cars from their victims," FBI assistant director in charge Christopher Raia said in a statement. "These gang members repeatedly terrorized our communities by threatening violence to ensure fearful compliance. The FBI continues to facilitate successful disruptions via Operation Summer Heat by protecting our citizens from violent offenders."

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.